Colorado football: Buffs fall flat in loss to Oregon State

Familiar result as CU overmatched in Pac-12 opener

Oregon State's Brandin Cooks (7) hauls in a touchdown as Colorado's Kenneth Crawley (2) tries to defend during the final minute of the first half Saturday.
(
Greg Wahl-Stephens
)

CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre's first encounter with a Pac-12 Conference opponent on the road Saturday looked a lot like those of his predecessor.

Missed tackles, special teams mistakes, ineffective offense and the home team's side of the scoreboard rolling up big numbers in a 44-17 loss.

The question aching to be answered by the Buffs entering Saturday's first road game of the season at Oregon State was how they might respond following a three-week layoff caused by the flooding back home in Boulder. MacIntyre said he didn't believe the layoff was a factor in his team's performance.

"Play better, don't turn the ball over, throw the ball to the right guys," MacIntyre said when asked what it will take for the Buffs to be more competitive in the Pac-12. "... I think we have the talent to play with Oregon State. There's no doubt in my mind."

CU has now lost nine straight conference games dating back to the Pac-12 opener last season at Washington State.

While the conditions at Reser Stadium were familiar -- rain and wind -- the response from the Buffs was all too familiar, as well. The defense did its part for a half against a potent Oregon State passing attack, but the offense looked an awful lot like the 2012 version.

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Oregon State erupted in the third quarter for 24 unanswered points and made a laugher out of what had been a closer game. The Beavers finished with 540 yards of total offense and quarterback Sean Mannion threw for six touchdown passes.

OSU outgained CU 367 yards to 33 in the second and third quarters combined. It was a stretch that decided the game. CU didn't find the end zone until 11 minutes were left.

Two special teams blunders by the CU kickoff return unit made it easier than it should have been.

Marques Mosley fumbled a kickoff return that didn't lead to any points but added momentum to the Beavers' efforts. OSU also successfully recovered a short kickoff that allowed it to score back-to-back touchdowns with the CU offense never touching the ball.

"We've got to do a better job of coaching them and keep taking care of the football," MacIntyre said. "It's all about turnovers."

The magic made between quarterback Connor Wood and wide receiver Paul Richardson in the first two games of the season disappeared in this one. Richardson came into the game leading the nation with 208 yards receiving per game. By the end of the third quarter, he had caught just one pass for two yards and mostly was a non-factor.

The contest was billed as a matchup of two of the best receivers in the nation and the Pac-12 with Oregon State's Brandin Cooks ranked second nationally in receiving yards per game.

Cooks definitely left a more favorable impression, making plays in the passing and running game for the Beavers. He finished with nine catches for 168 yards and five carries for 47 yards.

Richardson couldn't get the ball because Wood either couldn't get it to him or didn't have time to. Wood faced consistent pressure from an Oregon State defensive line that had its way against a well-rested Colorado offensive line.

Wood completed only 14 of 34 passes for 146 yards with two interceptions and two touchdowns. Richardson caught five passes for 70 yards and a late touchdown. It was obviously a far cry from the production that had the CU passing game ranked seventh best in the nation entering the day.

"You really can't put your finger on one thing that went wrong, like, 'This was it.'" Wood said. "I think all facets of the game, special teams made mistakes, defense made mistakes. They did really well in the first half and then offense, we made our fair share as well."

Wood said the CU offense was very prepared for what it saw from the Oregon State defense and the Beavers didn't do anything that surprised him.

The bright spot in the CU offense was true freshman running back Michael Adkins II who rushed 14 times for 98 yards and could soon be the team's new starter.

"I don't know if he's the starter, but he's going to play," MacIntyre said. "Wouldn't you play him?"

Oregon State struggled to move the ball early, but quarterback Mannion, the nation's leading passer coming into the game, connected with Cooks for a 52-yard gain in double coverage late in first quarter. Mannion, who finished 27 of 52 for 414 yards, connected with Cooks on a pair of touchdown passes later.

The Buffs now must regroup to host No. 2 Oregon next week.

"You can't look at this as a failure at all," Wood said. "You got to look at it as a learning experience. That how great players, that's how they think."

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